Decorative container

ABSTRACT

A decorative container used for small articles such as cosmetics, includes a base, opposed side walls and opposed end walls. The side walls have a generally wave-like configuration when seen in plan from above or below. The configuration of the walls permits multiple containers to be arranged in side-by-side array with the end walls abutting, resulting in a continuous uninterrupted wave-like appearance of the side walls. The resulting visual effect is highly attractive. The container lid may be of the identical opacity as the container body or it may be provided in a contrasting colour or opacity. The container lid is preferably flat and flush with the container walls.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to the field of rigid decorative containersfor articles such as cosmetics. More particularly, the invention relatesto containers having a removable or openable lid and which provide anappealing visual aspect when a group of multiple identical containersare arranged together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Decorative containers are useful for marketing of consumer itemssuch as cosmetics, in which it is important to provide articles ineye-catching containers or packaging. For example, perfume bottlesrepresent an art form in themselves. There also exist a wide variety ofdecorative containers, with and without removable or openable lids,suitable for small articles. An important aspect of such containers forcommercial purposes is that they be suited for setting up an attractivein-store display for catching the eye of customers. This is particularlyimportant in the case of small containers for retail items such as acontainer for a cosmetic, since on their own such containers may be toosmall to be noticed by a customer. Hence, there is a need for acontainer which is both visually distinctive and which is suitable forarranging in a set of identical containers to form an eye catchingdisplay. While one may arrange a display comprising an array of simplerectangular cases or containers, this is so common as to not beparticularly eye catching. It is accordingly an object of the presentinvention to provide a decorative container suitable for arranging in aset of identical members to form an eye catching and attractivearrangement. For this purpose, a set of identical containers may beprovided which when placed in a group forms an attractive threedimensional pattern.

[0003] It is also a desirable feature of a container for consumerarticles that it be capable of inexpensive mass production, for exampleby common plastic molding techniques.

[0004] A further desirable feature of a container is the provision of aremovable lid which is simple to use, easy and inexpensive tomanufacture, and has good retention to the container body.

[0005] The field of containers for small articles is, of course, ancientand replete with examples of lidded containers. By way of anillustrative example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,052 to Vajtay discloses a boxincluding an open-ended tubular sleeve having a rectangular crosssection into which rectangular, hollow insert closure boxes can beinserted. Narrow elongated slots on the sleeves end walls are able toreceive a tab on the closure box so that the boxes can be locked intoplace thereby closing the sleeve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] An object of the present is to provide an improved decorativecontainer for consumer articles, especially small articles, and whichpresents a decorative appearance particularly when a group of identicalcontainers are arranged in end-to-end or side-by-side relationship. Afurther object is to provide a decorative container for holding articleshaving an improved removable lid.

[0007] The invention consists of a decorative container body having abase and generally vertical opposed side walls and end walls, the sidewalls being characterized by a continuously curving configuration suchas a wave-like shape. Preferably the entirety of each side wall iscontinuously curving and forms an S-shape when viewed in plan. Theopposed end walls are preferably flat. Preferably the end walls aresubstantially aligned with each other, although some degree of offset isacceptable; that is, the end walls preferably both form a substantiallyright angle relative to an imaginary vertical plane bisecting theelongate axis of the container and passing through both end walls.However, it is envisioned that the end walls may be disposed at an angleother than 90° relative to the central plane or that they may take on ashape other than flat, such as curved.

[0008] The side walls are fully parallel to each other, as are the endwalls. That is, the spacing between the side walls remains the same atall positions, and the same is true of the end walls. Because the endwalls are parallel to each other, multiple identical containers may beplaced next to each other in an end-to-end abutting array to form agrouping of containers having the appearance of a unitary object. Theoverall appearance is that of an elongate structure with continuouslywaving side walls. The overall effect can be quite dramatic.

[0009] A further aspect of the invention consists of an open-toppedcontainer having an improved removable cap or lid. Preferably, the lidhas a flat, plate-like top. Depending tabs on either end of the lidextend into the interior of the container body and contact the sidewalls of the container body. Each tab may fit within a recess set intothe container wall. A mating protrusion and aperture arrangement betweenthe tab and the corresponding wall provides a releasable fastener orclasp for the lid for snap-locking the lid to the body. The protrusionsmay extend from the tabs, and mate with recesses within the containerbody, or vice-versa.

[0010] Concerning directional references in the present patentspecification (including claims), reference is made to terms such as up,down, lower, upper, etc. These references are for convenience ofdescription only. It will be understood that the container of thepresent invention may be placed in any orientation. The directionalreferences used herein refer to the container placed in the ordinary,upright position, with the base resting on a horizontal surface and thecontainer opening upwardly, as shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Having thus generally characterized the invention, the inventionwill now be further illustrated by way of a detailed description anddrawings of one embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention with the cap inplace;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view as in FIG. 1, showing the capremoved;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container body and cap, takenalong lines 2(a) of FIG. 2;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a perspective view, illustrating a group of containersarranged in a decorative display; and

[0016]FIG. 5 is a plan view, from above, of a further arrangement ofmultiple containers according to the present invention arranged in adifferent decorative display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the container 10 according to theinvention consists of a container body 12 and a removable lid 14. Thecontainer body comprises a substantially flat, plate-like base 16,substantially vertical sidewalls 18 and substantially vertical end walls20. The container is preferably elongate; that is, the side walls arelonger than the end walls. The side walls 18 curve continuously alongtheir length when seen in plan, in a generally wave-shaped configurationsuch as S-shaped configuration. For the present purposes, an S-shapedcurvature of the side walls is particularly suitable by virtue of itssimplicity and eye-catching nature. In order to permit a continuousappearance when multiple containers are arranged together, in anend-to-end array, the opposed side walls 18 on either side of thecontainer are fully parallel to each other. That is, the walls arespaced an equal distance apart at all points and if they were to beplaced against each other, they would fully contact each other with nogaps. The end walls 20 are also fully parallel to each other. In thepreferred embodiment, the end walls are substantially flat. However, ifdesired, they may take on a curved or other configuration provided thatopposed end walls remain fully parallel to each other.

[0018] The lid 14 includes a flat, plate-like upper surface 22 the sizeand shape of which is essentially identical to the base 16. Preferablythe peripheral edges 24 of the lid 14 are flush with the walls of thecontainer for a smooth appearance. In order to accommodate the S-shapedcurving side walls, the lid 14 and base 16 each have a generallyS-shaped configuration when viewed in plan from above or below.

[0019] The lid 14 is secured to the container body 12 in a snap-lockengagement by a pair of depending tabs 26 extending downwardly fromopposed ends of the lid 14. The tabs 26 may take on any desiredconfiguration, the tabs being shown as generally semi-circular in theillustrated embodiment herein. The tabs 26 are recessed slightly fromthe edge 24 to permit them to fit within the interior of the containerbody. The lid 14 +is releasably retained to the container body by meansof projections 28 extending outwardly from the outerface of each tab 26,which fit within corresponding recesses 30 within each end wall of thecontainer body. It will be seen that this arrangement of matingprojection and recess may be reversed, with a projection extending fromthe container body and a corresponding recess extending into the tab 26.The shape of the projections 28 and resilience of the tabs 26 aresuitable for retaining the lid snugly to the container body, while stillpermitting release by a gentle upward tug on the lid. Depending on thenature of the anticipated contents and use of the container, the tabsand projection/recess arrangement may be arranged to require a greateror lesser amount of force to open or close. For example, ifchild-proofing is required a relatively greater amount of required forcemay be selected to release the clasp.

[0020] The overall size of the container may vary widely, depending onthe intended purpose of the container. For example, if the container isfor retaining small cosmetic items, the dimensions of the container mayconveniently range from between 4 and 10 cm. in either height or lengthand 1 to 8 cm. in width. It will be seen that these ranges are notintended to limit the scope of the invention but are merely presented byway of an example.

[0021] The container according to the present invention may befabricated from a single material such as a rigid moldable plastic.Alternatively, the base and/or lid may be made from a different materialfrom the side walls in order to provide visual interest or improvedstructural qualities. The container in its entirety or any one or moreof the base, side walls and lid may be transparent, semi-transparent oropaque. As well, any of the surfaces of the container may be imprintedwith any type of message, lettering or, design or logo,this featurebeing particularly desirable for the cosmetics industry. The lid may bethe same colour as the body or contrasting.

[0022] Multiple containers 10 according to the present invention may bearranged in various eye-catching configurations, as shown in FIGS. 4 and5. As seen in FIG. 4, any number of identical containers may be placedin end-to-end relationship on a flat display surface. The result is avisually attractive arrangement in which the side walls 18 appear toform a continuous wave-like pattern. The effect may be enhanced byselection of materials having a shimmering or partly transparentappearance. As seen in FIG. 5, multiple containers 10 may be placed ineither or both side-to-side or end-to-end abutting relationship toachieve a similar effect.

[0023] Having described the present invention by way of a generaldescription as well as a detailed description of one preferredembodiment thereof, it will be seen that the present invention is notlimited in its scope to the features described in the above detaileddescription. Rather, the present invention includes within its scope thefeatures and elements set forth in the accompanying patent claims, aswell as elements which are the equivalent thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A decorative container comprising a containerbody comprising a base and substantially vertical and opposed side wallsand end walls, said side walls being fully parallel to each other andhaving a curved, generally wave-like configuration when viewed in planfrom above or below, said end walls being fully parallel to each othersuch that when a multiplicity of said containers is grouped together inabutting end-to-end relationship, the side walls thereof abut and form acontinuous wave-like appearance.
 2. A container as claimed in claim 1,wherein said end walls are substantially flat.
 3. A container as definedclaim 1, further comprising a lid having opposed side and end edges,said side edges being generally flush with said side and end walls whensaid lid is fitted on said container body.
 4. A container as defined inclaim 3, wherein said lid includes a pair of downwardly depending tabsfor fitting within said container body, said tabs and container bodyincluding mating members for releasably retaining said lid to saidcontainer body.
 5. A container as defined in claim 4, wherein saidmating members comprise a protrusion extending outwardly from each ofsaid tabs and corresponding recesses within the walls of said containerbody for releasably receiving said protrusions.
 6. A container asdefined in claim 1, which is generally elongate in configuration withsaid side walls being longer than said end walls.
 7. A container setcomprising two or more containers as defined in claim 1 identical toeach other and capable of being arranged in abutting end-to-endrelationship wherein said side walls form a continuous wave-likeappearance.
 8. A container comprising a container body comprising a baseand opposed side walls and end walls and a removable lid, said lidhaving side and end peripheral edges corresponding with the side and endwalls of said container when said lid is placed thereon, and upper andlower surfaces, said lid having at least one downwardly depending tabprotruding from said lower surface, said tab being adjacent to an endedge of said lid for extending into the interior of said container bodyand contacting an end wall thereof, said tab and said end wall includinga releasable clasp comprising a mating projection and recess whereinsaid lid may be snapped-locked to said container body.
 9. A container asdefined in claim 8, wherein said protrusion protrudes outwardly fromsaid tab and said recess is set within said container body for receivingsaid protrusion.
 10. A container as defined in claim 8 comprising two ofsaid tabs adjacent to opposed end edges of said lid, said tabs forcontacting opposed end walls of said container body, each of said tabsand corresponding end walls of said container including said releasableclasp.